Why weren't African animals as badly affected by the extinctions at the end of the Ice Age as Eurasian, American, and Australian animals? Many scientists attribute these extinctions to human overhunting, but you would think the African animals would be the first to go if this was the case.
Posted by Djehuti (Member # 6698) on :
I think the main factor that led to the extinction of many mega-fauna during the Pleistocene was significant environmental change brought on by climatic change. The mega-fauna apparently were not able to adapt or at least not fast enough in America. Unlike in Africa, where the climate is tropical all year around and the only major change was desertification, such that the only thing animals had to do was migrate to greener areas.
The whole over hunting scenerio does not seem to be that plausible considering that hunter-gatherers are known to be very well aware of population stability and hunting control.